COVID-19 shifts work dynamics, requiring a new leader: the "Coach Leader.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to two major changes: a shift in work environments and a shift in employees' priorities. Workplaces moved from physical offices with set hours to home offices with flexible schedules. Employees started valuing work-life balance and overall quality of life more than just career advancement. While working from home was initially challenging for many, a 2021 PWC survey showed that over half of the employees now prefer remote work for at least three days a week. However, this new way of working has also brought unique challenges.

To address these changes, a new leadership style is needed: the Coach Leader. Unlike traditional managers who act as superiors and give orders, Coach Leaders act more like sports coaches. They collaborate with their team members, asking for their opinions and co-creating plans. Instead of just supervising for results, Coach Leaders focus on guiding their team's growth and development.

“Coach Leaders use 10 virtues to foster thriving team environments”

Coach leaders create a high-performance environment by living a commendable life and intentionally shaping the workplace. Ten key virtues help leaders foster this environment. When you practice these virtues, you become more resilient in challenging times and create a workplace where others can thrive too. People want to feel respected, heard, protected, valued, connected with, appreciated, loved, led, and included by their leader. The ten virtues ensure your leadership meets these needs. 

Four virtues focus on personal character: 

• Kindness
• Selflessness
• Respect
• humility

Three virtues are about providing strong, supportive leadership: 

• Self-control
• Positivity
• seeking the best. 

The last three virtues help you navigate disruptions: 

• being a guiding light
• Perseverance
• standing firm.

Practice kindness until it becomes second nature.

Cultivate kindness by being generous, friendly, and thoughtful. It's important to be sincere and treat team members as individuals, not just problems to solve. Aim to make kindness your natural reaction. Start by avoiding unkind actions and training yourself to be kinder. Shaunti Feldhahn, an expert on kindness, created a Thirty Day Kindness Challenge that has proven to improve 89% of workplace relationships. To do the challenge, pick one person to focus on, preferably someone you find challenging. For the next 30 days:

• Avoid negative actions or words, including subtle behaviors like eye-rolling.
• When giving criticism, do it positively.
• Praise and affirm the person's positive qualities, both directly and to others.
• Do a small act of kindness for them every day.

You'll likely start feeling more positive about the person within a few days. Even if the person is difficult, the relationship can still improve significantly.

Serve your team to promote selflessness and develop  teamwork

To become a selfless leader, focus on serving and supporting your team's goals genuinely. Start by understanding each member's goals and guiding them to perform at their best. Make lists of the qualities and skills you appreciate in your team members. Find out what deeply motivates them by asking "Why?" repeatedly. Have an open-door policy, so team members feel comfortable discussing tough issues with you.

When serving others, let go of personal expectations. Keep your performance standards high, but don't expect anything in return from those you serve. This may be challenging, but it shifts your relationships from keeping score to feeling grateful.

Build respect for collaborative environments.

Building respect for yourself and your team is crucial. To respect yourself, engage in positive self-talk, stay active in mind and body, work towards a goal, set clear personal boundaries, and more. Respecting your team doesn't mean agreeing with everything they say. It means seeing and appreciating their worth. Look for and praise their good qualities and actions honestly and specifically.

This respect boosts a supportive environment that encourages working together and coming up with new ideas. To make meetings a space for engagement, creativity, and teamwork, consider these two tips:

• Start with Appreciation: Begin meetings by thanking specific team members for their efforts. Inspire with quotes, songs, or stories. Close this session by celebrating achievements with detailed compliments.
• Ensure Inclusivity and Participation: According to Google's Project Aristotle, the best teams are inclusive, respectful, and active in their participation. This means making sure everyone needed is included, adopting various ways of communicating and clarifying the agenda ahead. 

Respect involves preventing any form of disrespect and making everyone feel welcome and safe. Everyone should have a chance to contribute.

Develop humility for faster learning and better adaptation

To become humble, let go of the belief that you need to know everything. Focus on asking the right questions to the right people. Often, solving a problem means finding someone who can help you, rather than doing it all alone. Ask yourself, "Who does this better than me?" and learn from them by asking about their experiences and methods.

Humility helps you avoid getting in your own way by recognizing your blind spots and weaknesses. It allows you to own up to your mistakes and limitations, which boosts your growth and learning and helps you adapt to change. Surprisingly, humility can also make you bolder, as it shifts the focus from yourself to doing what's right or necessary.

Develop self-control for a calm approach to the future

Self-control is key to staying calm and communicating effectively. People are always watching and judging you based on how you handle tough situations.

When you're stressed or under attack, keep your self-control by watching your thoughts. Turn negative thoughts into positive ones and see problems as chances to grow. Know your goals and beliefs in the situation. If someone attacks you, try to see things from their perspective. Imagine they're acting this way because they feel insecure. This can help you feel more understanding instead of defensive. Remember, your main goal is to help others, and sometimes that means changing your plans.

Stay positive to ready your team for any challenge

Being positive isn't about liking everything you do. It's about having a meaningful goal in mind, knowing you have choices in your actions and reactions, and boosting the mood of your team. Positivity brings out the best in people and leads to top performance.

To lead positively, focus on action-based questions that lead to solutions. Share positive inspirations and include and support your team members. Make lists of things you're grateful for and achievements to fight negativity and cynicism.

Look for the best in people and situations. This means finding the positives amidst the negatives and focusing on opportunities. Expect the best by framing your mindset to concentrate on solutions that move your team forward. Prepare for the worst by focusing on what you can control and accepting what you can't. Keep a growth mindset to maximize outcomes and see opportunities where others see problems.

Guide others through darkness as a beacon of light

Being a light means making things clear that might stay hidden. As a leader, highlight your organization's purpose and mission so everyone understands them. Also, illuminate your team's goals, your leadership style, and any challenges. Make sure your team members get chances for recognition, growth, and advancement.

A leader's first job is to make the organization's purpose, mission, and goals clear. Help your team shine by supporting them to reach their goals and then celebrating their successes. Engage everyone in solving problems and coming up with ideas by using the STICKY method:

• Say the problem: Describe it clearly.
• Talk the problem out: Everyone asks questions for clarity, then restates the problem.
• Invent solutions: Each person writes down three solution ideas privately.
• Communicate the solutions: Share the ideas with the group.
• Know your plan: Make a list of the next steps.
• You get to work: Set a timeline and make sure everyone knows their responsibilities.

Persist and stand strong in times of crisis.

Never giving up means choosing to persevere through challenges and crises. To do this, be clear about your purpose and role, and how they align with the company’s values and vision. Here are some strategies to help you persevere:

• Monitor Your Thoughts: Ensure your thoughts are positive, focused, and willing. Avoid negative influences from yourself or others.
• Break Down Problems: Divide large problems into smaller parts. Focus on improving what you can control.
• Build Momentum: Improve another area of your life, like fitness, to boost your motivation. Success in one area can positively impact others.
• Embrace Challenges: See every setback as a step closer to success. Focus on the basics during tough times.

Showing both strength and vulnerability is important for standing firm in disruptive times. This mix fosters trust, which is crucial for thriving during challenges. To build trust, share your personal story transparently. This encourages others to take action and seek help when needed, leading to improved performance and productivity. Trusting your team enough to share ownership can also boost morale and productivity.